The King’s Stone: Rocks and RitualUHp staff

Early postcard of the Coronation Stone, c. 1870.

One is a block of red sandstone, another a columnar piece of granite. Yet a third is a portion of an ancient Roman column turned upside down. They are different sizes, different shapes, and different weights. Objects of veneration, theft, attack, and propaganda, these singular stones have played an odd role in history, both ancient and modern. In 1296 Edward I of England stole the most famous of these, the Stone of Scone, from the Abbey of Scone in Perthshire, Scotland and installed it in his own Abbey of Westminster in London. In 1892, Fenians, working to gain independence for Ireland, allegedly conspired to steal the Stone from Westminster and take it to Ireland. In 1950 a small group of people did in fact, manage to steal the Stone of Scone and transport it back to Scotland. It was quickly recovered, however, and returned to London where it remained for another forty-six years. In 1996, the Stone of Scone was returned to Scotland where it is on display in Edinburgh Castle. The English themselves had a claim to a different stone called simply: the Coronation Stone. Sometime around 1730 the church of St. Mary in Kingston Upon Thames in Surrey, England, collapsed. In the years following a large, rectangular stone was removed from the ruins of the church and declared to be the seat upon which the ancient kings of England had been crowned. In 1850 this block was elevated on a hexagonal base: the names of seven kings allegedly consecrated on it are carved into this base.

The Lia Fail at Tara, before the vandalism.

Meanwhile, in Sweden, the Mora Sten survived for centuries before marauding armies managed to destroy both it and the surrounding monuments during the 16th century. As late as 2012, vandals attacked yet another large stone, the Lia Fail of Ireland, hacking off eleven different pieces with a hammer. Just two years later, on May 28th, 2014, vandals again assaulted the Lia Fail, coating it with a thick layer of paint. Both incidents earned headlines across the world, underlining the importance of this stone. Interestingly, in the much-disputed region of Carantania (now Carinthia), the Prince’s Stone survived unmolested for centuries. During the 19th century, the Austro-Hungarian government took an interest in the stone as a symbol of power in the region. Governing officials deliberately moved the stone to the provincial capitol of Klagenfurt in 1862. After World War I, the region of Carinthia was split making ownership of the stone problematic. Today, after years of being moved from one symbolic location to another, it resides in the Landhaus of Klagenfurt. With one exception, all of these rocks are plain stones. The exception, the Prince’s Stone of Carantania, is actually the base of a fluted Roman column in the Ionic style. This base has been turned upside down so that the flat bottom serves as a seat. The coat of arms of the Duke of Carinthia is carved onto this flat portion of the base, a portion that is only seen because the stone is flipped over. The rest of the stones are rough blocks or, in the case of the Lia Fail, a large, columnar standing stone.

Lia Fail covered in paint, May 2014. Meath Chronicle.

All of the stones are very heavy and large: Lia Fail is over three feet tall and solid granite; the Stone of Scone is just over two feet long and about 16 inches wide; the Coronation Stone is about 30 inches high. The Stone of Scone alone weighs over 330 pounds.

Just what is it about these stones that makes them the focus of so much attention?

The Stones have no inherent value – none are made of precious material or even of rock that might be considered rare for the locality. Rather, their importance lies in their association with political power, specifically, kingship. All of these stones are strongly associated with the election and consecration of kings or princes. In some cases, this association is historically verified but in others it is known to be false. Yet the symbolic importance of the stones lives on.

Francis John Byrne, an authority on Irish Kingship, points out that the Lia Fail never served as a coronation stone for early Irish kings; its association with kingship is a later invention of medieval historians. However, Byrne argues that a stone slab was an essential part of the ritual election of an Irish king. Each little tribe in early medieval Ireland had its own sacred site and sacred stone for inauguration. Whether the king stood on the stone or sat on it is not clear but its importance is highlighted by the fact that Lord Mountjoy felt compelled to destroy the stone seat at Tullahogue after his victory over the Irish at Kinsale.

Olaf Magnus standing on the Mora Sten after his election

The Coronation Stone of England is not even mentioned in the historical record until 1793. Certainly several kings were consecrated in Kingston – the very name of the place derives from Cyninges tun or King’s enclosure. The Domesday Book records the presence of a church in Kingston and claims that the king holds that ‘vill.’ The Anglo Saxon Chronicle documents two coronations at Kingston: In 924: Athelstan was chosen by the Mercians as king and consecrated at Kingston. In 979: this year Ethelred was hallowed king at Kingston on the Sunday, 14 nights after Easter; and there were at his hallowing two archbishops and ten suffragan bishops.The inaugurations of both Athelstan and Ethelred probably took place in the Church of St. Mary, particularly as there is an 11th century tradition of an Abbey at the location of the church. Given the lack of any mention of the stone, as well as its murky origins – it was pulled from the ruined chapel of St. Mary’s sometime between 1730 and 1793 – it is unlikely to have served as a coronation stone for anyone. From the time of Edward I, the English placed a great deal of importance on their possession of the Stone of Scone. If, in fact, there were an equivalent stone representing the power and kingship of England, it seems odd that it would never once appear in the historical record.

The Prince's Stone of Carinthia now located in Klagenfurt Landshaus.

Certainly the Mora Sten of Sweden makes several appearances in literature and travelogues going back to the 11th century. Snorri Sturluson, the 12th century Icelandic historian refers to the election of kings and the Mora Sten more than once in his histories and sagas. Once elected by his peers, the king climbed up and stood on a large flat stone known as the Stone of Mora. Over time, several monument stones joined the Stone of Mora in its field near a marsh: sculptors carved details of a king’s selection on these large flat stones. The Stone of Mora became known as the Stones of Mora. The wars of the 16th century led to the destruction of most of these stones although a few fragments have been preserved. Historical records make it clear that the Prince’s Stone was actually used during the consecration of the Princes (later Dukes) of Carantania. The ritual involved perpetuated the understanding that the ruler’s power derived from the people. First, a commoner sat on the Prince’s Stone; this man then questioned the candidate for Princedom as to his intentions towards the people. Satisfied, the commoner stood up and then allowed the Prince to sit upon the stone for his coronation. All of these stones: Lia Fail, Sten Mora, the Prince’s Stone, the Coronation Stone, the Stone of Scone represent rightful kingship. While some were actually used in coronation ceremonies and others most certainly were not, they maintain their symbolic value for many people. As strong and important symbols, they also attract strong, sometimes negative emotions.Also on the Ultimate History Project: Read all about The Theft of the Stone of Scone